1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory device, to a host circuit, to a circuit board, to a liquid receptacle, to a method of transmitting data stored in a nonvolatile data memory section to a host circuit, and to a system that includes a host circuit and a memory device detachably attachable to the host circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inkjet printer, which is one example of a liquid ejecting device, typically has one or more installed ink receptacles or ink containers which are detachable liquid receptacles. Some ink receptacles are provided with memory devices. The memory device stores information of various kinds, for example, the remaining ink level or the color of the ink in the ink receptacle. A control unit provided to the printer communicates with the memory device of the ink receptacle.
JP-A 2002-370383
JP-A 2004-299405
JP-A 2001-146030
JP-A 6-226989
JP-A 2003-112431
However, in conventional techniques, insufficient consideration was given to the issue of dependability of communication between the control unit provided to the printer and the memory devices provided to the ink receptacles. For example, there is a risk that, for reasons such as faulty contact between the electrical contact portions of the printer and an ink receptacle, faulty communication may occur between the control unit provided to the printer and the memory device of the ink receptacle. If operation of the print control unit were to continue on with the faulty communication unresolved, there is a risk of problems such as errors being created in the memory contents of the memory device. This issue is not limited to memory devices provided to ink receptacles, but is rather an issue common to all manner of memory devices that electrically connect to a host circuit.